How to Determine Sex of a Quail

Co-authored by Amy Harrison

Last Updated: December 23, 2021 References Approved

Determining the sex of quails can be done and luckily it is fairly simple. You will be able to quickly discover the sex of your quail using one of the methods below.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Examine the Breast

If you have wild colour quails, such as Japanese, Italian, and Red Cap quails, it it very simple to tell the difference between male and female.

1
Examine the colour and speckles of the quail's breast. Females will have light-coloured breasts (such as cream or pale brown) with brown speckles. Males, however, will have dark-coloured breasts (such as reddish-brown), and will not have speckles.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Examine the Underside

If you have a mixed breed/mixed colour quail (like the Texas Quail), you cannot use the colour and pattern on the breast to determine its sex. Instead, you have to examine its underside.

1
Securely hold the quail's body. Make sure not to hold the quail by its legs, as the legs are very fragile. Have a gentle but firm grip on your quail, and then turn it upside-down.
2
Examine the cloaca. Blow the feathers underneath the tail to expose the cloaca. You may already be able to see a small bulge (if so, it is a male).^{[2]
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3
Press the cloaca. If you can't see a bulge just by looking at the cloaca, place one finger above the opening of the cloaca and put another finger below the opening. Gently press down. If a bulge pops up, then it's a male. White foam may also come out of the cloaca when you press it, which also indicates that it's a male. If there is no bulge and no foam when you press the cloaca, the quail is a female.^{[3]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Observing Behaviour

Male and female quails often have a difference in behaviour whether it is towards each over, during mating season or a common personality.

1
Observe the quail's behaviour. Male quails tend to be more aggressive towards each over whilst the female is more calm.
- Male quails will attack each over unless they are in a large space with lots of hiding spots. To see if they do attack, place them in a small box (but big enough for them to move around) and watch them for a minute or two. If they are males one should attack the other, if so remove them straight away to prevent serious injuries.
2
Listen to your quail. Male quails will often call to the female quails but sometimes the female has a call that sounds similar in some breeds of quails (usually to call to her chicks).^{[4]
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- Male quails will be loud and call a lot during mating season. Whilst calling the male will reach up as if stretching and then call. Male quails are even said to 'growl' during mating season.
3
Watch your quails during mating season. The female often builds the nest and feeds the chicks depending on the breed of quail you have. Sometimes the male will build the nest and feed the chicks so you shouldn't rely on this method.^{[5]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Examine the Feathers

Sometimes the sex of your quail can easily be determined by their feathers and this method can be used on most breeds of quails.

1
Examine the feathers during mating season. Female quails usually have a loss of feathers on their head and back due to mating.^{[6]
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2
Look at the difference between each quail. Male quails usually have brighter and more colourful feathers around their back, neck and head whilst the female quails are usually a plain colour.

Community Q&A

Question

When is the breeding season for quails?

Community Answer

There is no specific breeding season for domesticated quail, though some people believe quail tend to become broody during March. Quail breed all year-round and also lay eggs al year-round. All eggs are fertile as long as a male is kept with a female.
Question

How many females/males do I need together to make fertilised eggs?

Community Answer

You can easily keep one male with one female and they will lay fertilised eggs. But many people like keeping a ratio of one male to every three or so females to reduce stress of too much breeding.
Question

Which food is most suitable for Indian quails?

Amy Harrison

Top Answerer

A game-bird feed is most suitable for quails.